This invention relates to a shooting game machine with which a target displayed on a display screen is targeted by a model gun and a development of game is controlled in accordance with a positional relationship between a targeted position and the target.
Prior art shooting game machines of this type are such that a model gun is provided with a photodetector; a display screen of a display device turns white at the same time a player pulls a trigger of the model gun; raster scanning is performed to the white screen image from one corner of the display device; and a targeted position is detected based on a timing at which the photodetector receives light from the raster scanning screen (i.e. raster scanning position).
However, the above prior art machines have the following problems.
(1) The display screen turns white every time the trigger of the model gun is pulled, and the intensity of the light from the white screen strongly stimulates the player's eyes, thereby standing as a hindrance to an improvement in the quality of the game screen image and dazzling the player.
(2) Since the targeted position cannot be detected unless the screen is switched to the white screen, it is difficult to continuously detect the targeted position such as a display of the targeted position during calibration. In other words, even if the game screen image and the white screen image are alternately displayed, the continuous detection can be performed at an interval twice as long as a writing cycle of the game screen image.
In view of the above problems, there has been proposed a shooting game machine in which an image from a display device is reflected by a semitransparent mirror; light emitting elements are arranged in a matrix behind the semitransparent mirror such that the lights from the light emitting elements are superimposed on the image; and a targeted position is detected based on a position where the light from the light emitting element is received (see Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication No. 2-65983). However, this machine necessitates a multitude of light emitting elements arranged in a matrix and an accurate positioning of the light emitting elements with respect to the image from the display device, thereby making the construction complicated and requiring precise assemblage and arrangement.
There is also known a shooting game machine in which a targeted position is detected by detecting the position of a light source disposed in the middle of a shooting target by means of a semiconductor position detector provided in a model gun (see Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 60-111676). The light source can be disposed in the fixed middle position because the target is fixed. However, this concept cannot be applied to a shooting game machine having a game screen image which changes moment by moment, or a target having a position which changes moment by moment.